Basic Hot & Buttery Wings! The classic wing made simple. This recipe is a version of the classic chicken wing. Just combine a couple of simple ingredients, bake and dip. It can't be much easier than that!

Root Beer Chicken? A newspaper in Tennessee wrote an article about me after I was on the Emeril Live television show. The article consisted of my contest winning barbecue cornbread recipe that Emeril and I cooked together. The article also had a picture of me standing by the grill and mentioned in a caption, "As Kent grills his famous root beer chicken." Well, let me tell you how many times my phone rang from people wanting the root beer chicken recipe.

People called for weeks wanting to know what it was and how to make it. I spent many nights emailing food lovers this simple recipe. In fact, I received an email back from one nice lady who accused me of leaving out a secret ingredient because it seemed too easy. In fact, I've heard that Elvis loved a version of this chicken dish!

Root Beer Chicken:

6 - 8 chicken leg quarters or thighs

Root beer

Minced garlic

1 small chopped onion

Chopped green pepper if desired

Salt and pepper

1 tablespoon brown sugar

Place the chicken quarters in a glass dish or bowl large enough to hold them. Chop the onions into very small pieces and mince the garlic. Pour the root beer over the chicken. Add the garlic and onion then cover with cling wrap. Place the whole thing in the fridge overnight and grill the next day over medium-high, direct heat. I've grilled these right on the grates, using foil, or a grilling basket. Place any remaining marinade in a saucepan and reduce it while adding a dash of salt, pepper and brown sugar. Boil the root beer down for about 30 minutes and use as a light baste. You can adjust by adding some hot sauce if desired. Serve hot over seasoned grilled potatoes.

Sliced Potatoes:Slice several baking potatoes into 1/8 inch thick chip-like slices. Coat lightly with olive oil and your choice of seasoning. In my opinion, creole seasoning seems to work best with this dish. Oil the cooking grate or grill using a grilling basket. Grill until golden, turning as needed. You can also use grilled eggplant, squash or any of your favorite grilled veggies. You can drizzle with a light Mexican-style cheese sauce, vinaigrette or even a thinned ranch dressing if desired. NOTE: You can bake this dish in the oven as well in case you don't have grill space.

Root Beer Chicken Tip:You can use your choice of chicken cuts. For several reasons, chicken thighs are a standard around barbecue circles. Chicken thighs are affordable for a crowd, they have natural flavor due to the fat content, they are easy to season and they cook evenly. Chicken breasts are leaner and tend to dry out quicker. For a recipe like this, consider wrapping the breast in some foil for the last part of the cooking process. You can also use cola, fruit flavored sodas, ginger ale and more in place of the root beer.